Grandma Doak

It was a sad day on the morning of Sunday, August 24 because the greatest grandma in all the world (no offense to other grandmas out there) passed onward and upward to heaven. Grandma Doak was 91 years old. I had great affection and love for my grandma-- how could you not? She was so wonderful. I have too many memories to list, but three stand out in my mind. First are the summer vacations at Stone Harbor, New Jersey with mom, dad, Matt, grandma and grandpa. Getting to spend 24 hours with her was a dream come true. In the evenings grandma, grandpa and I would walk to an ice cream shop and enjoy chocolate cones with chocolate sprinkles. She would be wearing her typical summer outfit- short sleeved polo shirt, coolots and a pair of Keds. The second memory is of how I would grab grandma's hand and pull her arm to get her where I wanted us to play. I always waited for her to tell me I was hurting her and to stop, but never. If she was talking to someone I would pull and pull with all my might, until she finally gave me all of her attention and we would play with pots and pans or she'd let me put on her high-heeled dress shoes. Finally, for several years each August Matt went to a 5 day hockey camp in Mt. Lebanon, PA. He and mom left the house at 5:30 a.m. each day, and instead of torturing me with the early departure I went to grandma and grandpa's for the week. We spent the days baking all my favorite cookies and pies, and I was able to help grandma pick vegetables from the garden. She let me iron all of her clothes (it was fun back then) and drink coffee. We'd usually go out to a restaurant and see a movie. And grandma would send me off to accompany grandpa on his evening walk through the neighborhood with a Ziploc bag full of m&ms. When the week was over and I was back home in my bedroom, I would cry myself to sleep because I was so sad the visit had to end.

All that being said, I wish I would have spent more time with her, especially when I was a teenager and she lived less than a mile from my house. I also could have spent more time visiting her while she was in assisted living, then the nursing home. And I could have written more and called her more often. It's hard to believe that I won't get to see her anymore, but she wasn't enjoying her life so it's a relief to know that she is in a better place. No doubt heaven rejoiced when she walked through the pearly gates.

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After the funeral we had lunch at Wilson Lodge in Oglebay Park with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We even got to introduce Sam to his second cousins! It was great to see everyone, even though the circumstances were not happy. Then we went on to Pittsburgh to visit the Ribar family. We planned to visit the burgh later in the fall, but since the funeral was nearby we decided to move the visit up a couple months. Sam finally met his cousin Zack, Aunt Brenda, Uncle Ed and Uncle Tony. Zack was excited to meet Sam and he liked holding him-- he even helped Dave put him to sleep. Sam also met his great aunts and uncles. He was quite the movie star and did really well being passed around like a hot potato. Besides watching Sam and talking we spent most of the time, you guessed it, eating! Before we left on Saturday morning, Sam rolled over from his back to tummy. It was very exciting; although mom missed the first "official" roll over because she was at the gym. Then it was back in the car for the 9 hour car ride home. Needless to say we were very happy to be back in our own beds and house.

The past week has been busy as Dave got caught up at work and I finally got the house cleaned. I also had mastitis, but am feeling better now that I've had a couple doses of medication. It was my first taste of caring for a child while not feeling well, oh boy. Sam is noticing Sienna and smiles when she approaches him, then he reaches out his hand and tries to pet her. It won't be long until he is pulling her tail and sticking his fingers in her eyes. There are new photos for August.